Lonely streets this morning.....

Wow! That's all I could think of this morning at 7:30 am. It's the day after Christmas and where is everyone? Yesterday, Christmas Day, along with the entire previous week has been a mad house of traffic and hustle-bustle.

It rained all night long. In fact, it's rained all week long.

I had to get my car to the body shop as I was in a car wreck 3 weeks ago. (No serious injuries - other guy at fault). Today at 8:00 was the earliest that they could get to me. So ...... there I was - on the rainy road - very early.

It was quite a lonely ride. It was weird. I knew, of course, that everyone was either at work or at home asleep. I almost didn't go, myself. The rain, the cold weather, the desire to slam the alarm clock against the wall then it went off at 5:30, the knowledge that the body shop would still be there tomorrow afternoon - all of this contributed to my not wanting to get up and take care of things that needed taking care of.

But I'm glad that I did. It's a big burden taken off my "to-do" list for the week.

The young man who came to the body shop from the car rental place was very nice. We rode back to the rental place and both of us remarked on the eeriness of it all. It was like we were the only people on the planet. The rain only added to the strangeness of the empty roads.

I thought about the sermon last night. I wasn't thrilled about having to attend church on Christmas Sunday night. I'm not legalistic about it - I definitely believe in church attendance - but church attendance should come from a willing heart and a desire to be there.

Yesterday morning - I did indeed have a desire to be there. And it was a wonderful service.

But last night - and especially after my pastor on the previous Sunday admonished us all and said that people who don't go to church on Christmas Sunday are idolaters - a little of the rebellious nature in me didn't want to return Sunday night - just for rebellion's sake. I'm that way sometimes.

But I'm awfully glad that I went.

He preached on our walk with the LORD. His text was Matthew 2 and the Magi. His main two points based on their lives were that we need to emulate their (1) time and (2) effort put into seeking God. He said that we don't give enough of either and expect God to put in all of the time and effort for our sake. He said that we should be the ones sacrificially making time and diligently putting forth the effort to seek the God, Almighty, who said that IF we diligently seek Him that we will find Him.

He said that all of this isn't for our sake, but for God's glory.

I'm glad I went to church last night.

I still think the pastor is wrong about those who didn't attend being idolaters. But that's another thread.

But he preached an excellent sermon for both services and I, for one, am going to pray and seek God with more time and more effort this up coming year - not for my gain - but for His glory.

 

OOPS! Double post.

 

Too young for me!

Without fail! He really is a good man. Some (relative few, but sometimes major) of his ideas clash with mine, but c'est la vie.